Words

I was thinking this morning about how our words affect other people.  I was sitting in a restaurant yesterday morning with some of my family and I noticed how nice the waitress was, so I paid her a nice compliment that, I think, was well deserved.  From what little I said to her, her face seemed to light up and it seemed to bless her.  When we were leaving I walked up to her and complimented her again and it was received with great enthusiasm, and a big smile was what I left her with.  When I compliment anyone I try to always do it with the truth, I don’t want to mislead anyone.

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a great day with my family.  They had a little birthday party for me with pizza, sweet and sour meatballs, vegetables, cakes and ice cream, plus my daughter came all the way from North Carolina, having to take two different planes to visit and spend my birthday with me; what a blessing that was and is.  I thank God for my wife and family and how they bless and encourage me so many times.  Even my daughter-in-law and son-in-laws have blessed me many times for which I am so very thankful.  With all this love, blessings and the cards with such kind words of encouragement, how could I not have had a super day?

But there was another thing that blessed me and greatly encouraged me and even seemed to overwhelm me in a very good way, and that was my Facebook friends.  Their kind words and thoughtfulness didn’t go unnoticed and were very much appreciated.  Thank you so much and may the Lord richly bless each one of you and your families.

While I am typing this, I am thinking about how our words can bring either a blessing or a curse depending on what you say or how you say them.  I believe that life and death, blessings and curses are in the tongue.  When we call people names, make fun of them, laugh at them and gossip about them, we are bringing curses upon them and also upon ourselves, because there are always consequences for this kind of behavior.  

Think about this, you can say ten things that are very encouraging and one negative thing to a person and guess which one most people will think about the most, the negative one.  I don’t know exactly why this happens but I would say that most people need to be confirmed, built up and encouraged because when they compare themselves to the world’s standards they feel that they don’t measure up.  Many believers are even caught up in this trap because they believe the lie the world says that people need to look, act and talk like the movie stars and the most famous do.  This happens when people don’t love themselves or are not content with themselves.  It may be that many people are over sensitive and are hurt easily.  I know that a kind word spoken in love will make a big difference in many people’s lives.   

I think I will compare it to a wilting plant or flower.  When you expose it to bright sunlight and apply nourishing water to it, it grows and blossoms and gives forth a sweet smelling fragrance for everyone to enjoy.  I think this is like the response of many people when confronted with real love, kind words and actions.  I think my words yesterday and the waitress’ response are proof of this.  There are people all over that could use a word of encouragement, so try this out on someone you know today that could use an encouraging word or a genuine smile and see what happens.

Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!   PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord.